ooo mami! Umami Burger

RESTAURANT: Umami Burger
LOCATION: 432 6th Ave, New York, NY 10011
Date: March 13, 2014

Like music, food can stir up memories. Some are good memories and some are bad (I have a orange sorbet story that I will share at a later time..). Burgers in my case, reminds me of my parents, public school, and summer – the smell of burning coal, of ice cold beers, pool parties, friends and laughter. All these great memories continue to find its way back to me each time I bite into a burger. I started eating burgers since I was a little kid. My parent’s idea of this good ‘ol American classic was taking “Wonder Bread” brand hamburger buns, frozen beef patties (cooked on the grill), ketchup and maybe a tomato or piece of lettuce when we wanted to get a little fancy..  This was still a treat in me and my brothers eyes. No Chinese food for dinner tonight? YESS! My next burger was the public school burger. I have a confession to make… (I loved this burger…). I don’t know what it was about the public school burger – the bun was soggy, the patty was thin, the cheese was processed. But on Fridays when the lunch ladies cooked too many hamburgers and allowed students to take as many burgers as they wanted a.k.a. “All You Can Grab Hamburger Fridays”, my grubby little hands took at least 5 each time and ate them throughout the day… (no I was not a fat little kid as this may lead you to believe). Fast forward to the present day. I have now experienced many burgers in my lifetime – “Shake Shack, The Burger Joint, Corner Bistro”… just to name a few. I would consider myself pretty well versed in the world of the burger. Which brings me to the reason of this post and why we traveled down memory lane…

The Mount Snow snowboarding crew  reunited at Umami Burger to see what all the rage was about at this West Coast eatery. Drinks were flowing, stories were being exchanged and the waitress was friendly, personable and funny. It was already starting off to be a great night. We ordered the thin fries, truffle ‘em fries and tots (not on the menu, you just have to order it by name). The thin fries were nice and crispy, the tots were like bite sized au gratin potatoes breaded in panko and fried to perfection,  the truffle fries came with it’s own dipping sauces – garlic aioli, jalapeño ranch, diablo habanero sauce and truffle ketchup. The diablo habanero had a nice kick and my spicy pallet welcomed it with open arms. The truffle ‘em fries were my favorite. The fries were smothered with truffle cheese and truffle salt, they were crispy and the dipping sauces were just fun and spiced everything up. Next, the star of the night… The truffle burger! The first bite is to be described as a sweet surprise. House made truffle cheese and truffle glaze to give you that initial sweetness that combined so well with the juicy, meaty burger patty and garlic aioli (the other tomato, Jeanne would have loved it). Next, the bun. This baby got bun! A soft Portuguese bun that is branded with the restaurant’s logo soaks up the juices of the burger perfectly! Nothing like my public school burger… juice? What juice?

Dessert: Ice Cream Sandwiches! Snickerdoodle ice cream sandwich with a drizzle of caramel and chocolate chip ice cream sandwich drizzled with chocolate. These were my least favorite of the night.. I've had better cookies and the ice cream was just vanilla.

After this meal, I have new sweet burger memories. Thank you Umami Burger, I will return.  






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